Helicopters
by EchoedAshes
Summary: Erwin loves the flowers in his garden, he just doesn't always have the time to keep them in tip-top shape. So he meets himself a gardener. This fic will be Erumike!
1. They Came With Mini-Maples

He was getting tired of them.

Those little weeds that kept popping up everywhere within his garden, and he didn't have time every week to go out there and pluck them. It was starting to get old and it was also starting to kill his other plants. He had spent too much money on his rose, hydrangea, and lisianthus flowers. They were what highlighted his mansion and plus they were handed down through his family and expensive to keep up. He didn't need weeds killing them out.

He had tried to keep the Maple trees, of his neighbors, from releasing their helicopters onto his yard, but no matter what they would continue to fly over his fence. It extremely aggravated him since it never seemed to bother the others yard.

He sat his coffee down and decided to act. He got dressed and stormed out his door.

* * *

He walked around town all morning while asking different gardening shops if they knew how to deal with the problem. Most of them just replied with "Oh, you can just pull those straight up." but that was besides the point. He needed a permanent fix, without having to do it himself and without having to bang on his neighbors door and bribe them into cutting the tree down.

After walking halfway around town, he stopped and decided to rest his legs on a bench out in the park. He looked across the glistening pond and seen a billboard with papers posted on it just across the way so he decided to stroll over.

To his surprise there were tons of papers stapled to the board, piles, and piles unneatly placed. It went to show you how the park staff didn't clean the thing up and take old papers down. There were park announcements, park rules, park wildlife, missing animals, and the like all crowded together on the square board. He peeled back flyers after flyers seeing if there was something of note, when he came to a slightly faded green flyer that piqued his interest. It read "Zakarius Landscaping & Gardening" and also gave the phone number at the bottom of the page. It looked rather old and he could only hope that they were still taking job offers, but at this point it was the only lead Erwin had on getting those dastardly helicopters before they could populate his yard with mini-maples.

He plucked the paper from its spot on the billboard and started on his walk back. Stopping at a little cafe he liked on his way so he could enjoy himself a new fresh cup of coffee since he didn't get to thoroughly enjoy his cup from earlier this morning. He flipped through pages of the town newspaper before deciding to head home so he could call the number on the flyer.

Once he got back to his neighborhood he had all his neighbors waving and greeting him as he walked by with "Good day Mr. Smith," and "Hello, nice weather today isn't it?" and he greeted them with "Hello" and "Why, yes". He passed by Pixis' house and noticed him out on his porch fiddling with one of his model cars and the old man glanced his way and threw his hand up.

"Whatcha got there?" Erwin asked as he noticed the car was new and walked up to Pixis.

"Oh, I'm glad you asked" He lifted up the cherry red model car to show Erwin. "Its a 1954 Packard Pacific." He said beaming with pride.

Erwin inspected the not complete model. "Its a beaut.." He handed it back to the man who was eager to finish it.

"You betcha! Back in my day these were all you would see on the streets!" Pixis blurted out before picking up his silver flask and taking a swig of whatever whiskey he had poured into it for the day.

Erwin laughed. Watching the man as he used his little screw driver to put the tiny screws into the car's hood and trunk hinges.

"Hah! Finished" He lifted the car into the light to inspect it and make sure every detail was perfect.

Erwin helped clean up some of the plastic baggies scattered around the patio floor boards that had once held the little car's parts before glancing at his watch and realizing he still hadn't called the number on the flyer. "Well I better be heading back to my house Pixis. It was nice speaking with you this evening."

"Whhaatt? Why are ya' in such a hurry? Stay n' drink with me." His cheeks started turning a rose pink color and he was shaking his flask at Erwin inviting him to it.

"Ha ha no thanks, I need to get home and call this number before it gets to late." he motioned at the paper in his hand.

"Oh I see, well per'haps another time then?" Pixis hiccuped.

"Of course, Pixis." He started off the man's porch and gave one final wave once he got on the side walk.

He walked the rest of the short distance to his house, glaring at the little saplings before unlocking his door, and took his shoes off on the rug with a long sigh. He had been out most of the day but at least he could have possibly found a lead, he thought as he made his way to the kitchen table sitting down with the phone and calling the number on the bottom of the flyer. After sitting through about 8-9 rings he was about to give up and started to hang up the phone, when he heard a man's voice answer finally.

"Thank you for calling, You have reached Zakarius Landscape & Gardening" played on the other line.

"Ah hel-" He was cut off by a beep and then realized it was the voicemail.

He continued to leave a message. "Ah Hello, This is Erwin Smith, I was wondering if you were still in business. Please give me a call if you get this message" he said his number and hung the phone up leaning back into his chair feeling a little defeated.

He ran his hand through his slicked over hair and felt the sweat from walking all day cling to it and decided it was time to take a shower. He made his way to the master bedroom and went through his dresser to find a fresh pair of underwear and pajama pants, grabbing his towel as he  
closed the bathroom door. He washed his golden hair and scrubbed his body down with Old Spice before rinsing off and getting out to dry. He combed his hair back out of his face and got dressed.

He put his dirty laundry in the hamper within the bathroom closet and made his way back out and into the kitchen to fix him some dinner. He made it quick since it was getting late and just decided to make himself a hot ham and cheese sandwich. He put it on a small plate once done and made it to his TV room so he could catch the ending of a football game.

After watching his team win, it lightened up his mood and so he decided to click the TV off and head on to bed. He didn't know what he was going to do tomorrow considering he was off of work and he didn't usually get off for Mondays. He wandered back into his bedroom and sat aside some of the decorative pillows on his bed before peeling back the comforter and sheets and settling into the warmth of his bed.

He sat for a while thinking. He had hoped he'd hear a call back soon from Zakarius Landscape & Gardening. If he didn't hear back he didn't know quite what to do, he thought about his garden being ruined and rolled over with a huff of breath. He would have to find another way if things didn't work out but he decided to stop worrying over it right now and allowed himself to close his eyes and drift off into sleep.

He woke up the next morning from an awful dream, it consisted of him walking outside to find his yard covered in huge Maples. Some of the tree's branches went straight through the side of his house and it made him flinch and put his hands on his head in disbelief. It had looked like a scene straight out of Jumanji. He couldn't believe his eyes it was horrible. That was when he jumped awake, quickly getting up to glance out of his bedroom window down to his yard hoping what he just saw wasn't truly there. He was relieved, it was nothing there except for his beautiful flower bed.

He let out a sigh and scratched his head. He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, rubbing his face inspecting the 5 o'clock shadow before grabbing his shaving cream and razor. He turned on the silver faucet and pressed some of the cream into his hand and slightly wetted the other before rubbing it onto his face and half of his neck. He gently glided the razor over his cheekbones and curled his upper lip over his teeth so he could gently get the tiny mustache making itself known on his face, rinsing the razor off and then continuing until he finished. He grabbed the hand towel and dabbed it over his face and then felt around with his hand making sure he had no left over stubble. He took the after shave out from under the sink's cabinet and shook out a bit onto his hand and rubbed them together and placed it on his face, feeling the burn subside. He put all of his items back under his sink and wiped the counter before standing up straight and looking at himself in the mirror. He flashed himself a smile before stretching and walking out.

He made his way back into the kitchen where he decided to put on a pot of coffee and fix himself some breakfast. It was one of those mornings where he felt he wanted something sweet like french toast, and decided to balance that sweetness off with bacon and fried eggs. He was satisfied with his creation as he placed the food onto his plate and smelt the delicious smell permeate through his kitchen. He had just gotten around to making his cup of coffee when the phone rang.

He went over to the phone and answered. "Hello, Smith residence."

"Oh, Good morning Mr. Smith." an unfamiliar male voice answered back.

"Is there something I may help you with?" Erwin said gentlemanly.

"This is Zakarius Landscape & Gardening, Sorry for missing your call yesterday. I wasn't expecting any business calls."

"I understand, thank you for replying." Erwin paused "Um, May I ask who I'm speaking with?"

"Oh of course excuse my rudeness, My name is Mike Zakarius I am the owner of this business. What can I help you with?"

"Its a pleasure to meet you Mr. Zakarius, I was calling to ask if you minded to send someone over to help me with my garden."

"Of course although It will have to be myself since all my workers left." the man replied.

Erwin wondered what he meant by "left" but he didn't want to pry a man he had just talked to. "Sounds good to me."

"When would you like me to see your garden?" Mike questioned.  
"Anytime this week really, if its all the same to you." Erwin said cheerfully.

"Ah, would this evening be alright? We're not a busy business. At least not as much as we used to be."

"Sure sounds great to me! Say around 2-3 p.m?" Erwin was excited for how soon it'd be, he could get rid of those things making a mess of his garden sooner than he had expected.

"Alright, I'll be there later to inspect and see what I can do. Have a good day." The man said his goodbyes before they hung up.

Erwin let out a sigh and shook his fist into the air feeling victorious. He remembered his breakfast back on the counter and picked the plate up and grabbed his coffee to sit and enjoy at his kitchen table. He felt that the day would go by rather smoothly.

He finished his plate and rinsed it off in the sink before going to get dressed in his bedroom. He decided to put on a white t-shirt with jeans, something comfortable but also presentable. He parted his hair and brushed most of it to one side, putting a small amount of gel in it so it'd stay sleak. He sprayed a tad bit of cologne along his chest and went to await his guest in the reading room.

He enjoyed reading historical novels mostly during old wars and the Great Depression. Many of his friends told him that he needed to try reading less boring books and try reading fantasy genres or something that was funnier and less serious but he just couldn't get into them. He liked learning new things as he read. He was halfway through his book on World War 2 when he heard his door bell ring. He closed his book and sat it aside, quickly making his way to the door.

When he opened the door he was taken by surprise. The man before him was so tall, he blinked in disbelief. He had to be 4-5 inches taller than himself. He had an olive green V-neck t-shirt on, with dark jeans and brown boots. His jaw was lined with stubble and gave way to a small beard and he sported a moustache. He had a dirty blonde type of hair color, that was short and he had bangs that was parted down the middle and slightly passed his eyes.

"G-Good evening, Mike?" He held his hand out to greet the man.

The other man nodded and gave Erwin's hand a firm shake. "Hello, Mr. Smith its a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"No, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you for coming here." He said stepping out of his house and showing the man to his garden.

"Its no problem, What can I help you with today?"

"Oh, well you see." Erwin gestured of to the Maple trees in his neighbors yard. "My neighbor's Maple tree's always drop their helicopters into my yard and before I can pick them all up they end up sprouting. They're starting to take over my garden and ruin all of my flowers." He frowned.

"Ahh I see, That is a problem considering how much these plants must cost to keep up with." Mike said while he bent down on one knee to pluck one of the small sprouts from the ground.

"I can definitely help you out with these, but I might have to come back tomorrow so I can have time to gather the correct tools." He threw the mini-tree back onto the ground and stood up dusting his hands off.

Erwin felt a burst of happiness. "Thank you so much, I was worried that I couldn't find a way to get these things out. Since my work doesn't give me much time to pluck weeds."

"You're welcome, Its good that you caught them before their roots could get too big." Mike smiled.

"Yes although they're already starting to take a toll on my poor hydrangeas." He shook his head looking at one of his hydrangea bushes that had already started to wilt.

"Well that won't be a problem before long," Mike reassured.

"Ha ha thanks again, I don't know what I would've done without your help." He took the man's hand and shook it with gratitude. "Would you like to come inside? I would gladly make you a cup of coffee, or give you a beer."

"No thank you, I better get back."

"Oh I see, It was nice meeting you. Have a good night"

"Same to you." Mike nodded and made his way to the street where he parked his car.

Erwin gave a final wave and watched the man drive off.

"What a nice guy." Erwin thought before heading back into his house.


	2. Grilled Salmon Is Best With A Friend

It wasn't until he got back into his house and got preoccupied that he realized he didn't know what time Mike was going to come back. It was like neither of them had even thought about the time and Erwin had work tomorrow at that. So he just figured when he woke up the next morning he could call the man.

He started the next day like he usually would and just before going to the office he gave Mike a call. This time it was only a few rings before the husky man picked up the other line.

"Oh, hello Mike?"

"Good Morning Mr. Smith, Is there something I can help you with?" The tall man asked sleepily.

Erwin noted that Mike probably wasn't used to getting up so early considering he said he didn't have much business. "Well I was just calling to see what time you'd be coming this evening, I have to go to work in the office today and I don't think I'll be done until 3-4:30 p.m"

"Ah, I understand. I can make it over whenever you get off work, just call me when you're done."

"Alright! I can't thank you enough." Erwin couldn't help but feel grateful at meeting such a nice man.

"No problem, It's the first time in a long time that I've had any business so I don't mind getting back into the swing of things." Mike sighed with a slight chuckle.

"Ok its settled then I'll see you later!" he said happily.

"Ha ha yeah, see you."

Erwin hung up the phone and grabbed his coat, suitcase, slipped his shoes on and set out the door.

* * *

The day seemed to drag on but Erwin successfully got all the office's paperwork done. Occasionally daydreaming throughout the day about the condition his garden will be in once cleaned up of the weeds but not too deep in his fantasies that he got nothing done. He was able to leave right on time to meet Mike.

He made his way back home, a little tired but that wasn't enough to bring him down as he pulled into his driveway to see lawn tools neatly placed on a display blanket in the middle of the yard. He hopped out and looked around for the man and found him hunched over, on his knees in the middle of the garden.

"Good evening, Mike!" Erwin trotted over to him happily.

"Oh, hello Erwin" The taller man said still in deep thought.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes and No… hmm" Mike paused. "It seems that its not just the helicopters taking root in your garden that's the problem"

"Oh no, What else is it?" He started to get slightly worried.

"Well its nothing drastic, but as old as this mulch is it's started to decompose and attract termites." Mike grabbed a handful of the mulch in his gloved hand and showed it to Erwin.

Erwin bent over to look at the mulch within his hand carefully. "I see what you're saying now" He sighed.

"No worries though, I can have this fixed up within a week or so."

"You'd really do that?" Erwin said ecstatically.

"Of course. Like I said before I don't have any other customers so I don't really mind."

"You're a blessing" Erwin gave both of the man's broad shoulders a few pats.

"Ha ha thanks but no problem."

"I'm going to go inside and put something more comfortable on" He said wanting to quickly get out of his work clothes. Although he enjoyed looking decent in the workplace he couldn't wait to get home to put something more laid back on.

"Sure, Sure" Mike waved casually at the other man.

Erwin hummed happily as he unlocked his door and made his way to his bedroom. He shedded all of his work clothes, putting them in the hamper, and then acquired a new comfortable fresh outfit that he could also be outside in. He made his way back through his hallway and had the thought that he was a little thirsty and he could only imagine how Mike felt with the accumulating heat outside.

He made his way through the kitchen and made a pitcher of fresh lemonade carefully putting it into two glasses with ice. He sat it all nicely together on a tray so he could easily carry it out to his new found friend. He glanced at the tray giving it a slight accomplished huff before heading out the front door to the yard.  
"Here Mike, I made us some lemonade." Erwin said cheerfully walking over to the man.

Although it had been such a small amount of time since Erwin had went into the house, Mike had most of the little Maple trees pulled up from the ground.

Mike looked up slightly surprised. "Oh thank you, you didn't have to do that"

Erwin handed him a glass and smiled, "Of course, I don't want you to end up working yourself to death."

Mike chuckled and grabbed one of the glasses taking a sip. "Wow this is pretty good."

"Ha ha thanks, I always fix it just like my mom taught me to." Erwin says happily as he sits the tray on a table in the patio. "It's the perfect amount of lemon juice and sugar"

"You aren't kidding" Mike says after gulping down his cup.

"Feel free to get more, I made a whole pitcher of it, Help yourself." Erwin started heading the front door.

"Thank you"

"You're welcome, Now if you need anything don't hesitate to come get me or call for me. I'm going back in to work on some paperwork."

"Sure" Mike said nonchalantly.

Erwin headed back inside his house and started for his office, grabbing his suitcase along the way. He only had a tiny bit of work left to do and he knew he should be done before it got too late.

* * *

He was close to finishing when he heard footsteps coming down his hall, he laid down his pen as Mike knocked on the doorframe to his office.

"I'm done for the day" Mike reported. "I can come back tomorrow and work if you want."

"Thank you so much! I'd really like that" Erwin smiled "I just can't seem to thank you enough Mike!"

"Ha ha I can make it around the same time tomorrow, if its all the same to you."

"Sure, Sure. I should be done in the office around the same time tomorrow." Erwin chuckled.

"Alright, have a good night Mr. Smith" he turned to walk out the door.

"Oh and Mike." Erwin called after the tall man.

"Yes?" Mike came and rested his hand on the door frame.

"Please call me Erwin, you don't have to stay so formal." Erwin grinned.

"Of course, Erwin" Mike smiled and gave a small wave before leaving.

Erwin leaned back in his chair sighing before he sat up, cracked his fingers, and began working again. He just needed to look over a few more papers, sign a few, and he would be done for the night. Since he worked on these tonight and didn't wait until he was at work tomorrow, he should have an easy day and get home relatively early tomorrow evening. Erwin felt happy.

* * *

He woke up the next morning in a pretty good mood. Got dressed, drank his coffee, and went about his work day. Once there he waved at his fellow co workers before he walked into his little room along the wall of different offices. He got started with his work right away just like he always did.

He sat and worked diligently in his chair and got to thinking about how much of a good worker Mike was. Although Erwin was his only customer he still thought the man was considerate, after all Mike always arrived at the same time and stayed until he got done with his task for the day. To what Erwin could see he done his job profoundly and never slacked off. Erwin wanted to repay the man and thought harder on ways he could.

Finally he came up with the answer. What better way to show your appreciation than to put some food on the grill?

He finished up at work early and decided to head to the grocery. He wanted to grill them both up something nice so he got some salmon and a few ingredients along with some fresh mushrooms and string beans from the farmer's market on the outskirts of town. Erwin learned, one day when he had a day off and wandered around town, that vegetables and fruit always taste the best if they're bought fresh from a farmer's market.

Once he had everything he needed he made his way back to the house with his arm full of grocery bags as he greeted his little, but not little, gardener.

"Oh, Hello Erwin, Do you need any help with those?" Mike stood up from his spot within the mulch.

"No not at all!" Erwin smiled at him. "Since you always help me out with my garden, I want to show my gratitude. So I thought we could enjoy a grill out." he beamed with happiness.

"You don't have to go through so much trouble."

"Ah, but I want to. You've become a friend of mine now." Erwin said as he headed towards the kitchen to set things up.

"Well, Thanks a lot Erwin… I consider you a friend of mine now too. Do you need any help preparing anything?" Mike looked a little concerned that the man was going through so much just for him.

Erwin opened up the other set of doors within his kitchen that lead out to another part of the patio that held the grill. "Nah, Just sit there and rest while I get everything started." He walked across the wood and started up his gas grill before walking back into the kitchen to start working on the salmon's citrus glaze.

"Would you like anything to drink? I have beer, soda, juice, you name it" Erwin said in the middle or stirring, and stopped to open the refrigerator.

"I'll have a beer, thank you" Mike said as he sat down at the bar beside the kitchen.

Erwin threw the beer over to Mike with a grin. "Good choice, Good choice." He turned back around and continued on the glaze then swiped it on both sides of the salmon before heading back out to the patio and putting it on the grill.

"Alright, now that I got that out of the way I'll start with the side dish." He shuffled through his grocery bags to pull out the string beans and mushrooms.

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Mike questioned not knowing what to do with himself.

"Yes, I am sure but thank you. If you want you can watch something on the television." Erwin said still looking down concentrating on cutting the mushrooms.

"You're welcome, and nah I don't watch much TV unless a ballgame is on." Mike took a drink from his can.

"Same, I can't get into much of the shows that are on usually." Erwin scraped the slivers of mushrooms off of the cutting board and started sauteeing them with some garlic and let the string beans cook.

"I know right? I usually just find something to do around the house" Mike sighed with a small laugh.

"Same, Same" Erwin added the oil, honey, and soy sauce to the mushrooms and let them simmer for a while and went to check on the salmon.

"Wow Erwin, it smells amazing." Mike sniffed the air a couple more times.

"Thank you." He began straining the string beans and began to pour the mushrooms and garlic over them.

Erwin put the beans aside in a dish and grabbed a drink before he sat down to rest for a moment. "Well now that the mushrooms and beans are finished, we just have to wait on the salmon to get finished and then we may eat." He sighed.

They talked for a couple minutes about football, and things they done around the house to pass time before Erwin got up to bring in the steaming salmon. He cut the salmon in two and began to brush the remaining bits of glaze onto the fish. He set them up on two plates, putting the mushrooms and string beans beside the fish.

"And here you are Mr. Zakarius" Erwin chuckled as he made his way over to set the plate in front of Mike. Sitting down beside the man at the bar with his plate too.

Mike got up and walked over to the sink to wash his hands off before sitting back down to enjoy the meal. They both sat in silence as they savored the amazing flavors within the fish mixed with the mushrooms and beans.

"Erwin its delicious, is this another recipe your mom taught you?" Mike questioned with an amazed look on his face.

Erwin giggled at the question, making the other man look at him with more questions. "Nah, I just learned this one night while watching the Food Network" Erwin looked over at him with 'believe it or not' grin on his face.'

"Ha ha haa I never would've guessed!" Mike said while laughing. "Sometimes, I admit, I find myself watching that show and hating myself afterwards because I end up making myself hungry for something I know I can't possibly make" Mike chuckled some more.

"You know, I thought that very same thing" Erwin pointed the fork at Mike and waved it. "Until one day I thought 'Why not?' and I tried it."

"Heh heh well maybe I can try making something off of there one day and I'll make you my guinea pig and you can try it." Mike said jokingly.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad!"

"You believe in me too much, dear Erwin" Mike chuckled as he finished his plate and got up to rinse it off in the sink.

They both talked some more before Mike thanked him once more and left. Erwin washed the dishes off giggling at some of the things the man had said earlier before he decided to take a shower and head off to bed.

* * *

Over the next couple of days they both started talking more and Mike started staying progressively longer.


	3. Liquor Melts The Heart Quicker

Nearly a week or so later, Erwin woke up just like any other morning. He got dressed, drank his morning cup of coffee before heading off to work. He entered the office building as usual, having small talk with his fellow co workers as he made his way to his office room. Lucky for him he didn't have to work at one of those tiny cubicles that spread out in the middle of the floor.

He worked, and worked through stacks of papers, occasionally refilling his cup of fresh coffee just to go back to his desk and look over more paperwork. He sighed and wished he would have went into some other more exciting profession. His random thoughts were disrupted when he heard loud footsteps coming down the hallway and someone fling his door open.

"Mr. Smith!" The young man entered.

"Good afternoon, Erd." Erwin motioned towards the chairs in front of the desk telling the man to sit.

"Oh no sir, I didn't come to stay a while." he paused with a smile on his face. "I have good news for you."

"Oh what is it?"

"You've been summoned by the higher ups, from what I've heard you better go now."

"I see, thank you Erd." Erwin got up fixing his dress shirt and tie, and picked up his tuxedo jacket before leaving to go to the conference room. Saying goodbye to Erd as he walked to the elevators.

Erwin listened intently to the group of men and women sitting around the table, some older than him and some not. After the meeting Erwin said his thank yous and goodbyes before walking out the door. He waited until the door was tightly shut before jumping up and down happily. He had been promoted, he was now CEO Erwin Smith of Legion Incorporated. He cleared his throat, fixed his suit and tie before continuing down the hallway.

* * *

He stayed a little longer that evening so he could start packing some of the stuff in his office to get ready for his new one. Erwin was cheerful as he put his lamp inside one of the boxes, happy that his hard work has finally gotten him noticed. He packed a few more odds and ends of his office room before deciding it was enough and left for home.

As he drove into his driveway he was surprised to see that Mike hadn't left yet. He grabbed the tiny box of office supplies, that he no longer needed at the office, and got out to say hello to the man.

"Hello Mike, I didn't think you'd still be here." Erwin grinned at him.

"Hey Erwin, Ah, You caught me right when I was about to pack my things and head home." Mike chuckled returning a smile to the man while he stood up and dusted off.

"Oh don't leave in such a hurry, Come have a drink with me!" Erwin said cheerfully as he grabbed the taller man by the arm, pulling him inside.

He led the man to his basement where there was a much larger bar with many different liquors, wines, and other drinks.

"Wow Erwin, I didn't even realize your house had a basement." Mike looked around at the large room beneath the already large house.

Erwin chuckled happily, "What would you like to drink, my dear Mike?" Erwin smiled at the man as he walked behind the bar and looked through the cabinets.

Mike took a seat on one of the tall stools at the bar in front of Erwin, "Umm, I think I'll just take whiskey with ice."

"Ah, good choice." Erwin cheerfully got a fifth of whiskey out of the cabinet and poured the man a tall glass full.

Mike took a gulp of the liquor before sitting the glass down, "You seem like you're in a good mood today, did something happen?" he noted with a smile.

"I'm glad you asked." Erwin made himself a glass of whiskey before sitting down to continue his conversation, "Guess who got promoted at the office today" He prolonged the end of the sentence playfully.

"Oh, Congratulations!" He took another sip of his whiskey. "What were you promoted to?"

"Thank you, I was promoted to CEO" Erwin swirled the liquor in his glass at the man matter of factly.

"You must have worked hard" Mike held up his glass to make toast with Erwin.

"Ha ha I don't want to toot my own horn or anything." Erwin shot the man a playful smile before finishing the last swig in his glass.

"I'm sure you deserved it" Mike chuckled.

"You're too kind Mike"

"Nah, I'm only stating what's true"

"No really! You always come to work in my garden and you work so hard." Erwin excitedly complemented.

"Its the least I can do…. Its my job"

"Ah yes, but you've become a good friend of mine…" Erwin poured himself another glassful of whiskey and rested his head on his hand.

"Same here, Not many people remember me anymore."

"Oh really, such a tall man can go unnoticed in this town?" Erwin chuckled.

"Heh heh so it seems. I mostly just keep to myself anyway." Mike had a defeated smile on his face.

"No worries, I'm the same"

"You seem like the type that'd have a lot of friends, Erwin"

Erwin sighed a small laugh "Quite the contrary, I had two good friends about a year or so ago."

"What happened?... If you don't mind me asking…" He inquired finishing his liquor off.

Erwin motioned at the fifth welcoming Mike to it. "Of course I don't mind you asking…" He settled further in his seat. "Ahh you see they both got promoted in the office, but the job required them to travel to different cities frequently."

"Hmm, I see" Mike listened intently.

"Tell you the truth I was also offered the promotion as well, but you see I just don't like having to travel and move continuously." Erwin paused and looked at the man thinking that he sounded stupid.

"I understand, moving to a new town frequently sounds like it'd be a huge burden."

"I know right? But my friend Levi didn't necessarily move he just isn't home often, he lives in the light blue house across and down two houses from mine. I think its been about 5 months since I've seen and talked to him last." Erwin huffed a sigh.

"Wow then it has been a while. Have you tried calling him?"

"Well you see he doesn't have a personal cell phone, he would always say it'd be too much of a hassle to carry it around along with a business cell." Erwin chuckled. "Besides I only have his house phone."

"Ha ha I guess that's somewhat true."

"Ah, now my other friend Hanji took the promotion but they changed her's so she would just get to stay semi-stationary in the city she and her wife, Petra, moved to. I haven't heard anything from her in about a year or so now. I tried calling her but it seems she changed her number." Erwin sighed. "So after I hadn't heard from them I didn't know how to quite find new friends, considering I've known them since High School."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but at least staying here seems to have done you some good." Mike tried to making Erwin feel better about the situation.

"Ahh true and I guess I've been successful at acquiring you as a friend as well." Erwin laughed

"Hmm touché." Mike smiled and took another drink.

Erwin laughed, "So how about you? How did you become such a master at landscaping?"

"Ha ha, I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm a master at it." Mike blushed.

"Oh come now, you're really good! Did you learn everything on your own?"

"Nah, I learned everything from my father." Mike grinned.

"I see, so its a family business?" Erwin raised a playful eyebrow while taking another drink.

"Yeah, but when I was younger I wasn't so happy to be a part of it." Mike let out a sigh and twirled his glass making the liquid inside swirl.

"Hmm? You don't take me for the type that would've been a rebellious child"

"You'd be surprised then." Mike huffed. "I said some pretty mean things to my father"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Erwin looked at the man concerned.

"Its a sort of long story."

"I have time."

Mike took a deep breath. "Ahhhh well, it was around the time I had just turned 21, I had always helped my father with some of his jobs ever since I was a young boy but I guess after a while it started bothering me…."

"Started bothering you?"

"Yeah, when I reached 21 I just wanted to go out and have fun with my life and not be stuck with, what I thought of at the time, a stupid job that I didn't want to be the successor of." Mike paused and pondered on his wording. "I was young and ignorant, I didn't realize how good I had it. I wanted to go to a college after I graduated just so I could attend frat parties." Mike shook his head disapprovingly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, like you said you were a young man." Erwin gave the man a worried look.

"Oh, but Erwin I said such mean things to him….." Mike rubbed his face. "I got into a huge argument with him the morning of a landscaping job. It was a huge job too, we had to do so much and it was a hot day… before we got there I had screamed at him about how much I hated this, and how I hated him chaining me down to it, and how I was tired of him always guilt tripping me when I didn't want to go to jobs with him or when I complained about taking the business over." He had a troubled look on his face.

"You see Erwin… My father was getting old he was in his late 50s and was having tons of heart problems and….." Mike pushed his hair back anxiously. "We had arrived at the job and I was still ignoring him like a little brat…. Ugh he was using the saw to cut down a small tree when he suddenly fell over. The other landscaping guys we had got to him before I did, we tried calling his name and slapping his face hoping he'd come to as another guy called an ambulance… but once we got to the hospital and waited a couple hours the doctor came and told us it was too late…" Mike rubbed at the bridge of his nose as his eyes began to tear up.

Erwin got up from behind the bar and walked around to pat and rub on the man's back.

"The doctor told us later that my father had a stroke caused from stress…." Mike breathed between increasing sobs.

Erwin felt so bad for the man, he never would've thought that Mike had something pent up inside of him for so long, at least not something like this. Erwin embraced him letting him cry it all out and he rested his head on Mike's slightly as he comforted him. Mike had reached at Erwin's arm as he cried latching on so Erwin would stay. After a while his heavy sobs had subsided.

* * *

A couple hours later both of the men were inebriated. The mood had lightened considerably and they both were laughing at each others stories they had started telling of embarrassing moments in their childhood.

Erwin had to argue with Mike that it would be for the best if he stayed in the guest bedroom that night instead of driving home.


	4. The Beauty Of A Gardener

A few days had passed after their night of drinking. Mike and Erwin understood more about each other and Erwin started getting used to Mike's presence around his house in the evenings. Erwin was happy with him around he felt less lonely plus when he would see the man he would feel a warmth in his chest that he couldn't quite place.

* * *

Erwin got up that morning with his usual routine before heading off to work. He had already settled into his new office and got used to the new responsibilities that came with his new placement within the building. He had to make phone calls to other businesses, fill out more paperwork, type more words into his computer, along with many other tasks. One thing he loved about his new office though is how big and open it was, the wall behind where he sat was a full window overlooking a considerable amount of the city.

Hours had passed and Erwin got done with his work, clocked out and started on his way home. Used to when he ventured back home after a long days of work he didn't rush but nowadays he had a reason to be home quickly.

* * *

He drove into his driveway and hopped out with his briefcase to go and greet his tall companion.

"Good evening, Mike" Erwin chuckled as he walked up to where Mike was perched in his garden.

"Hello, Erwin. Fun day at work?" Mike grinned as he stood up and took his gardening gloves off, throwing them over on top of his pile of tools.

"Hah hah If only the office place knew the meaning of the word 'fun'" Erwin patted him on the shoulder. "Come on in, I'll fix us something to drink." Erwin said as he made his way up his porch steps to unlock his door.

"Alright." Mike followed behind Erwin.

Erwin sat his briefcase down in his home office and changed into something more comfortable. He walked back into the kitchen and grabbed him and Mike a beer before joining the other man at the kitchen bar.

"Whew, I always thought the office was boring before I got promoted but now I think I stand even more corrected." Erwin sighed and ran his hand through his sleek hair pushing it back.

Mike laughed "Does everyone treat you differently than they did before?"

"Heh you bet they do, its like they're all kissing my ass now. At least before they'd ask me how I was doing just out of friendly conversation but now it seems like everyone has started having a race to greet me first to see if they can gain some sort of upper hand." Erwin glanced over at the man who was still giggling at Erwin's predicament. "Mike, It's like they've all started lining up outside my door just to ask if I need more coffee in my cup…"

"Well at least you don't have to waste any time getting your own."

Erwin shook his head in agreement. "Hmm true, true.."

The conversation died down and it had gone quiet between the two of them. Mike continued drinking his beer, and Erwin found himself looking over the man. He noted the way Mike had stubble that lined his jaw, from his side burns down to his small beard. Erwin never really noticed before but he had to admit the man was handsome. He then noticed that Mike's hair had grown longer since the first time they met, before it was just slightly touching his eyebrows but now it was starting to curl in, reaching the man's eyes.

"Your hair has gotten longer" Erwin nonchalantly said to the man.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to get it cut but I keep forgetting." Mike sighed as he tried parting it back out of his eyes.

Erwin giggled. "You know, I can cut it for you."

"I didn't know you could cut hair." Mike smiled at the man with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh trust me I can, I have a whole set of steel combs and scissors of different sizes and kinds." Erwin said matter of factly.

"Oh really?"

"Sure, grab a chair from the kitchen table and bring it to the bathroom in the master bedroom."

Erwin started for his bedroom to set everything up in his bathroom. Mike soon followed with a chair.

* * *

Erwin had Mike set up in front of the mirror, sitting facing himself, as Erwin used a large comb to go through his hair then slowly declining to a smaller comb. He sprayed small amounts of water on the long strands, just enough to dampen them and make them easier to cut.

"Ha ha thanks for doing this for me, Erwin"  
"No problem at all" Erwin murmured through his concentration as he cut the back of Mike's hair.

He shaved some of the bottom off of the back after he cut the hairs down to their original lengths. Then slowly began cutting each layer of the back before working to the sides.

He began gently combing out the man's bangs before cutting them out of his eyes. At that moment their eyes caught each others, Erwin felt something… something that started a heat within his chest allowing him to let his eyes linger on the other man's as he realized what a brilliant slate blue color they were. He couldn't look away.

It was as if something gravitated him towards the other man, he leaned his face closer until their breaths were shared and their lips touched. At first it was one sided, Erwin kissed him cautiously looking for the reassuring pressure from the other man's lips. Then finally the presence of the other man's lips began to press against his.

The kiss started out attentive, Erwin sat the comb and scissors behind him on the counter being careful not to break the kiss. Erwin slid his hand up from his side to place it gently on the other man's jaw as he began deepening the kiss. Mike snaked his hand slowly up Erwin's back and rested it on his neck, tenderly gripping it.

They parted, both of their eyes half lidded as they panted to catch their breath. Mike raised from his seat and met Erwin's lips again, gently lifting the man onto the edge of the counter. Mike lowered his head and began giving light kisses down Erwin's neck, lingering longer at his collarbone. Erwin groaned as Mike sucked lightly on the skin.

Mike slid his hands under Erwin's shirt and began pushing it up and off of his body, allowing the other man to do the same before he pulled Erwin's hips closer to his and grinded their clothed erections. They rested their forehead on each others, looking deeply into each others eyes, as they breathed hot breaths. They both worked each others hips against the other, grunting at the contact.

"M-Mike, lets go to the bed." Erwin breathed into Mike's ear.

Erwin heard a low grumble in the other man's throat as he felt Mike's hands go underneath his thighs before lifting him off the bathroom counter. Mike carried him through the doorway to the bedroom and laid him on the bed, climbing over him and pressing their chests together, he began to pull Erwin's pants down freeing Erwin's erect cock.

Mike sat up onto his knees, straddling Erwin's thighs as he let the other man start to unbutton his pants and take them off. Erwin moaned wantonly as he watched himself expose the other man's long hardening member, allowing himself to touch the shaft and run his fingers over the hair that started at the base and climbed the man's navel.

"Here.." Erwin panted, pulling the man down and changing positions with him. "Let me…"

Erwin moved his head down Mike's long body licking along the indentations of his muscles. He put his hand around the shaft of Mike's dick, giving it a slight tug before letting his thumb run across the tip teasing the slit. Mike let out a prolonged moan, as he watched the man take him in the mouth.

Erwin sucked the man down to the base letting the hairs tickle at his nose and chin. His tongue ran up the shaft, swirling around the head and he used the tip of his tongue to lick into the folds of Mike's foreskin. Erwin glanced up and seen deep lustful eyes watching his every move before he felt one of Mike's hands meet his neck and massage gently behind his ear.

"Mnngh, Erwin" Mike groaned with his slightly open, as he clenched his hand and tugged at Erwin's hair. "Ahh that feels so damn good."

Erwin tasted the bit of precum that hit his tongue as he bobbed his head up and down. He gave the head one more swirl and lick of the slit before he heard Mike grunt and felt the hot liquid spurt into his mouth and drip to the back of his throat. He gave the twitching member a few more hard sucks making sure to catch all of the flows of cum before letting go to watch Mike as he came from his high. When Mike reopened his eyes he seen Erwin swallow every last bit of the hot, musky substance.

Mike pulled Erwin up and gave him a deep kiss, nipping at Erwin's bottom lip before snaking his tongue over Erwin's. They undulating their heads deepening their kiss as they sucked and ran their tongues across each others and bit at each others lips. Erwin could feel Mike's mustache scratch at the soft skin surrounding his mouth. Mike slowly rolled Erwin onto his back, climbing on top of him while he wrapped Erwin's legs around his waist.

"Mnn, M-Mike" Erwin broke the kiss panting. "Th-there's some lube in my n-night stand, it's in the top drawer."

The taller man leaned over, rustled through the drawer before bringing out a condom and a bottle of lube. Mike raised Erwin's legs up enough to see the tight pink entrance of the man below him, running some of the lube onto his finger. He ran his finger over Erwin's hole, lightly pushing his finger in, feeling the tight muscle twitch at the sudden entrance. He worked it in further before looking up at Erwin for reassurance.

Once he received a nod from Erwin that he was ok he began to enter another finger, scissoring the digits deeper into Erwin earning him a few gasps from the man. Mike hooked the two fingers inside a few times before adding the third one. He thrusted them in, hearing the smacking sound of the wet skin as he went faster. Soon he felt Erwin lightly rocking his hips against his hand making his dick grow harder in response. Pulling his fingers out he knew that Erwin was ready for the real thing.  
The two of them eyed one another lustfully, Mike looking over Erwin's sprawled out body and his erection that laid against his lower stomach and Erwin watched him with his mouth open as Mike began to pump his cock a few times before gently sliding the condom over it, lathering it up real good with lubricant afterward. He repositioned his hips and let the tip press against Erwin's entrance before slowly allowing his dick to slide into Erwin fully, making them both shiver.

They both stalled for a moment, panting, trying to catch their breath. Erwin breathlessly trying to get used to the foreign object that filled him up. Taking a few moments, Mike rested his head on the slope of Erwin's shoulder kissing the skin delicately before slowly starting to move.

He gripped at Erwin's knees as he began to pick up the pace. They kissed sloppily, Mike thrusted deeper and faster into him, rotating his hips to find Erwin's prostate. Erwin's cock already dripping with a flow of precum as he rolled his hips to meet Mike's thrusts.

"Oh Mike, right there" Erwin moaned leaning his head back as one of Mike's thrusts hit a spot within him that sent tremors down his spine.

Erwin grabbed at the man's lower back to pull him in deeper with each roll of their hips. Making Mike hit Erwin continuously in the spot that sent Erwin over the edge, muscles constricting around Mike's dick as they spasmed in a long orgasm, squeezing Mike to his climax.

"Ahh, Mike." Erwin moaned breathlessly as he felt his body spasm blissfully, releasing his load of cum in spurts, onto his stomach and chest.

As Erwin came down from his high he listened to the lovely sound of Mike as he cried Erwin's name in ecstasy with each sporadic thrust before collapsing onto Erwin's chest. Mike breathed heavily as his body slowly came down from its climax.

Erwin gently ran a hand through the man's messy hair. They gave each other a moment, letting the other catch their breath before Mike reached to the nightstand to grab some tissue. Mike sat up giving the man a loving smile as he helped clean him up before taking the used condom off of himself, tying it and throwing it away.

He settled into the bed, wrapping his arm around Erwin as they both drifted off into a blissful slumber.

* * *

The next morning Erwin opened his eyes to see the sleeping face of Mike. His hair still messed up from the nights events foiling the relaxed look of his facial features now. Erwin looked at this adorable sight before him for a few moments before grinning once he seen movement under the man's eyelids before they slowly opened.

"Good morning." Erwin whispered as he lightly brushed Mike's bangs from his forehead.

"Nn, mornin'" Mike said hoarsely.

Erwin sat up rubbing his lower back as he felt a jolt of pain run through it. "We really did go at it last night didn't we?" Erwin chuckled playfully.

"Ha ha" Mike laughed before sitting up in the bed beside Erwin. "After all of this time we could've been doing that…" He looked over at Erwin grinning.

"So it seems…" Erwin sighed. "If only I knew before that you weren't just good at gardening"

They both laughed together, giving each other playful kisses on the lips before getting dressed to start their day.


End file.
